Ronald Franz- He was a devout Catholic who drove Alex to “Oh-My-God Hot Springs.” It was a camp where about two hundred people gathered for different reasons. Most of which were either hippies or Charles Manson look-alikes who walked around buck naked. Ron spent most of his adult life in the army stationed at Shanghai and Okinawa. While overseas, his wife and child were killed by a drunk driver. This caused him to start drinking. To get over the loneliness, Ron unofficially adopted Okinawan boys and girls. Over the next few weeks, Alex spent a lot of time with Ron and developed a close connection. Alex split for San Diego to earn money for his Alaskan trip. However, he was unable to find work, so he had Ron pick him up. Ron explained to Alex that his family name would be dead after he died, so Ron asked to adopt Alex. Alex avoided a response, but instead insisted that Ron should sell his apartment and live a nomadic lifestyle. Months later, Ron picks up a few hitchhikers who tell him that Alex had died. Although, when Alex left for Alaska, he prayed that God would keep him safe, and since he died, Ron stopped believing in God and started drinking again. Gene Rosellini-He was the Mayor of Hippie Cove who came from a wealthy family. As a teenager, Gene was a good athlete and a very smart student. He attended the University of Washington and after that Seattle University. He studied anthropology, history, philosophy, and linguistics; however, he never collected a degree because he thought the title was unnecessary. Afterwards, Rosellini departed Seattle and ended up in Cordova, Alaska. He wanted to know if it was possible to “be independent of modern technology.” His experiment was to prove that humans could live like as the Neanderthals did without gunpowder, steel, and other artifacts of civilization. After a decade of his experiment, he concluded that it was impossible, so he plunged a knife through his heart.
John Waterman- He was born in Washington suburbs. His father was a writer who claimed to write speeches for the presidents and a very experienced rock climber who taught John how to climb. John became the third youngest person to climb Mt. McKinley (Denali). Many of his colleagues remember him as being socially awkward and weird. However, people say that the reason for this was because his parents divorced when he was a teen and his dad was absent in his life ever since. Every time John tried to see his father, he would refuse to see John. John didn’t take this very well. He attempted to climb Denali by himself starting at sea level. The last place he was noted to be was Northwest Fork of the Ruth Glacier on April 1. Carl McCunn- He was a thirty-five-year-old amateur photographer who was dropped off by himself at the Coleen River near Fort Yukon. The main reason for the trip was to take pictures of wildlife. He was he’s not surprised Carl forgot. He recalls that he would dream of unrealistic things. Carl decided to throw all but a dozen of his shotgun shells into a lake not knowing that the rest of them could have kept him from starving. One morning he was stirred by an airplane. He waved at it with an orange sleeping-bag cover. Unfortunately, he only waved one hand while the sign for S.O.S. is waving two; therefore, no airplane ever returned for Carl. Eventually, it got so cold, and he got so hungry that he could no longer go on and shot himself in the head. Everett Ruess- He was born in Oakland, California. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School as a poet, philosopher, and Unitarian minister. When he was young, his family moved around a lot. At sixteen, he went on his first solo trip spending the summer hitchhiking through Yosemite and Big Sur. After two months, he returned home just long enough to earn his high school diploma. Less than a month later, he was back on the road trekking alone through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. He spent the rest of his life on the move living out of his backpack. Many of the letters he wrote expressed his love for the wilderness and the beauty of the earth. Also, he says that he is looking for a more fulfilling life than the average run of the mill person. He also changed his name a few times along the way, but eventually went back to Everett Ruess. His last letter was written on November 11 addressed to his parents stating that he would not be able to be reached for a month or two. After three months, his parents became worried and set up a search party. They immediately found Everett’s two burros at the bottom of Davis Gulch. Some think he died from falling off a cliff. Others think that he was murdered by a team of cattle rustlers who stole his belonging and buried his remains or threw them in the Colorado River.
Ronald Franz- He was a devout Catholic who drove Alex to “Oh-My-God Hot Springs.” It was a camp where about two hundred people gathered for different reasons. Most of which were either hippies or Charles Manson look-alikes who walked around buck naked. Ron spent most of his adult life in the army stationed at Shanghai and Okinawa. While overseas, his wife and child were killed by a drunk driver. This caused him to start drinking. To get over the loneliness, Ron unofficially adopted Okinawan boys and girls. Over the next few weeks, Alex spent a lot of time with Ron and developed a close connection. Alex split for San Diego to earn money for his Alaskan trip. However, he was unable to find work, so he had Ron pick him up. Ron explained to Alex that his family name would be dead after he died, so Ron asked to adopt Alex. Alex avoided a response, but instead insisted that Ron should sell his apartment and live a nomadic lifestyle. Months later, Ron picks up a few hitchhikers who tell him that Alex had died. Although, when Alex left for Alaska, he prayed that God would keep him safe, and since he died, Ron stopped believing in God and started drinking again.
Gene Rosellini-He was the Mayor of Hippie Cove who came from a wealthy family. As a teenager, Gene was a good athlete and a very smart student. He attended the University of Washington and after that Seattle University. He studied anthropology, history, philosophy, and linguistics; however, he never collected a degree because he thought the title was unnecessary. Afterwards, Rosellini departed Seattle and ended up in Cordova, Alaska. He wanted to know if it was possible to “be independent of modern technology.” His experiment was to prove that humans could live like as the Neanderthals did without gunpowder, steel, and other artifacts of civilization. After a decade of his experiment, he concluded that it was impossible, so he plunged a knife through his heart.
John Waterman- He was born in Washington suburbs. His father was a writer who claimed to write speeches for the presidents and a very experienced rock climber who taught John how to climb. John became the third youngest person to climb Mt. McKinley (Denali). Many of his colleagues remember him as being socially awkward and weird. However, people say that the reason for this was because his parents divorced when he was a teen and his dad was absent in his life ever since. Every time John tried to see his father, he would refuse to see John. John didn’t take this very well. He attempted to climb Denali by himself starting at sea level. The last place he was noted to be was Northwest Fork of the Ruth Glacier on April 1.
Carl McCunn- He was a thirty-five-year-old amateur photographer who was dropped off by himself at the Coleen River near Fort Yukon. The main reason for the trip was to take pictures of wildlife. He was he’s not surprised Carl forgot. He recalls that he would dream of unrealistic things. Carl decided to throw all but a dozen of his shotgun shells into a lake not knowing that the rest of them could have kept him from starving. One morning he was stirred by an airplane. He waved at it with an orange sleeping-bag cover. Unfortunately, he only waved one hand while the sign for S.O.S. is waving two; therefore, no airplane ever returned for Carl. Eventually, it got so cold, and he got so hungry that he could no longer go on and shot himself in the head.
Everett Ruess- He was born in Oakland, California. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School as a poet, philosopher, and Unitarian minister. When he was young, his family moved around a lot. At sixteen, he went on his first solo trip spending the summer hitchhiking through Yosemite and Big Sur. After two months, he returned home just long enough to earn his high school diploma. Less than a month later, he was back on the road trekking alone through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. He spent the rest of his life on the move living out of his backpack. Many of the letters he wrote expressed his love for the wilderness and the beauty of the earth. Also, he says that he is looking for a more fulfilling life than the average run of the mill person. He also changed his name a few times along the way, but eventually went back to Everett Ruess. His last letter was written on November 11 addressed to his parents stating that he would not be able to be reached for a month or two. After three months, his parents became worried and set up a search party. They immediately found Everett’s two burros at the bottom of Davis Gulch. Some think he died from falling off a cliff. Others think that he was murdered by a team of cattle rustlers who stole his belonging and buried his remains or threw them in the Colorado River.